The present invention is directed generally to needles useful in the dispensing of plastic fasteners and more particularly to a new and novel such needle.
Plastic fasteners of the type used to attach, for example, merchandising tags to articles of commerce are well-known in the art, as illustrated by the following commonly assigned patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,666, issued Sep. 17, 1963; U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,487, Oct. 24, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,161, issued Jun. 26, 1984; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,475, issued Sep. 11, 1990.
In many instances, the aforementioned plastic fasteners are fabricated in the form of continuously connected fastener stock, the fastener stock comprising a pair of elongated side members interconnected by a plurality of cross-links or filaments. Frequently, one side member comprises a plurality of T-bars joined together by severable connectors, and the other side member comprises a plurality of T-bars or paddles also joined together by severable connectors. Individual fasteners are usually dispensed from the fastener stock with the aid of a dispensing tool. Such dispensing tools typically include a needle through which the T-bar of a severed fastener is ejected into a desired article.
Such needles typically include a shank portion and a base portion, the base portion extending rearwardly from the shank portion. The shank portion typically includes a substantially cylindrical rear portion and a relatively sharp front tip for permitting penetration of a desired article. The shank portion is hollow to permit the T-bar end of a fastener to pass therethrough and has a longitudinal slot to permit the filament of the fastener to extend therefrom as the T-bar end moves through the shank portion. The base portion is typically substantially cylindrical in shape and has a central bore with an inner diameter equal to the inner diameter of the hollow shank. The base also has a longitudinal slot aligned with the slot in the shank. In needles which are removable from the dispensing tool, the base is provided with means for correctly positioning the needle within the tool and means for locking same into place. The shank portion and the base portion may form a unitary structure or may be separately formed pieces joined together.
One problem frequently encountered by using a needle of the type described above to attach a tag or the like to a garment is that the insertion of the needle through the garment often creates a hole in the garment caused, in part, by the destruction of threads in the garment which come into contact with the needle tip as it passes through the garment. This tends to lead to a larger than desired hole in the garment and makes the hole more susceptible to enlargement during the ordinary course of use of the garment. One approach to this problem has been to make the shank portion of the needle smaller in diameter and to provide the tip of the needle with a very sharp point which is small enough to be inserted between the threads of the garment being penetrated. Such needles, however, tend to break more easily than do needles of greater size and less sharp points.